What is literature?
LITERARY GENRES
The name has traditionally been applied to
those imaginative works of poetry and prose
distinguished by the intentions of their authors
and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their
execution. Literature may be classified
according to a variety of systems, including
language, national origin, historical period,
genre, and subject matter.
Writings in which expression and form, in
connection with ideas of permanent and
universal interest, are characteristic or essential
features, as poetry, novels, history, biography,
and essays
FORMS OF LITERATURE
PROSE
POETRY
TYPES OF LITERATURE
FICTION
NON FICTION
INGREDIENTS OF LITERATURE
SUBJECT
FORM
POINT OF VIEW
PRINCIPAL INGREDIENTS OF LITERATURE
Subject - Any work of literature is about
something, and for this reason, it has a subject.
Theme.
Form- The vehicle used by literature to
communicate its subject. A verbal and artistic
structuring of ideas. E.g.: Sonnet
Point of View- The angle of vision of the
narrator. (first person, omniscient, limited
omniscient, etc.)
DRAMA
NOVEL AND SHORT STORY
POETRY
ESSAY
EPIC
Literary Genre
The Drama- The artistic work is performed as
an objective occurrence witnessed by the
audience
Tragedy- In his Poetics, Aristotle defined
tragedy as an organized presentation of human
suffering. Main causes of sufferings: (a) Fate, the
position of a persons life that he cant control;
(b) character, which he can control.
Comedy- It is intended to reform. Not merely
laughable, but one of the richest ways a man
has to discover his own nature. Story of
achievement Literary Genre
the Novel and the Short Story- In case of
fiction made up of the novel and the short story,
the audience or the readers are present. The
reader holds the literary work in his hand.
Short story began with Edgar Allan Poe and
Nathaniel Hawthorne. Story must not be so
long that it cannot be read at one sitting, and
that it must have a certain single or unique
effect.
Characteristics of a Short Story: Unity,
brevity and intensity Short Story
Factors to Consider in Evaluating the Short
Story
Point-of-View Characters Plot Literary
Genre
Poetry- The poet speaks spontaneously to
himself or to the universe, or perhaps, to an
absent lover.
POETRY
Diction
Imagery
Symbol
 Rhythm and Rhyme
Poetic Forms
Lyric Poetry Narrative Poetry
The Essay- It is a communication from the
individual author, as a person, to the audience
(the reader). Received its name from the title of
Michel de Montaignes first collection of short
prose Essais which means an attempt. love with a young woman, his cousin Virginia
Types:
Formal Informal
the Epic- In ancient times, the epic was
recited by a bard to an audience with the
accompaniment of a lyre. Now, it is rare in its
literal form.
APPROACHES IN APPRECIATING LITERATURE
LITERARY CRITICISM -a description and
evaluation of its object: literature (literary
writings, writers, literary classes, etc.)
LITERARY CRITICISM
Critical approaches to literature reveal how or
why a particular work is constructed and what
its social and cultural implications are.
Understanding critical perspectives will help
you to see and appreciate a literary work as a
multilayered construct of meaning.
Reading literary criticism will inspire you to
reread, rethink, and respond. Soon you will be a
full participant in an endless and enriching
conversation about literature.
LITERARY THEORIES
the process of understanding what the nature
of literature is, what functions it has, what the
relation of text is to author, to reader, to
language, to society, to history.
Author-dependent Approach
Text-dependent Approach
Reader-dependent Approach
Author-dependent Approach
Historical- Biographical Approach- Assumes
that a text is a reflection of the authors life and
times. What does the work reveal about the
author or the history?
Edgar Allan Poe
It's always a little hard to separate the life of
the legendary Poe from his works. In this case,
there are some big similarities. Poe was also in
Clemm, and married her when she was just 13.
She had died two years before this poem was
written. Whether or not this poem is
"autobiographical," we can be sure that Poe
knew what he was talking about here. This
intense and fascinating poem is one of Poe's
most famous. Whether you're an old fan of Poe
or brand new to his work, "Annabel Lee" is a
really cool example of his unique style and
subject matter.
Text Dependent Approach
Formalism
Roman Jakobson
A style of inquiry that focuses on the features of
the literary text itself.
Emphasis on the FORM.
Evaluates inherent features of a text.
Exegesis: the unfolding of meaning, line by line
or even word by word
Text Dependent Approach
Structuralism Studies- the systems of
relationships that are embedded in words and
items
Reader-dependent Approach
the meaning is an interpretation created or
constructed or produced by the reader
(informed readers or competent readers).
Readers are asked to examine, explain, and
defend her/his personal reaction to a reading.
Why like or dislike the reading, agree or
disagree with the author. Identify the reading's
purpose, and critique the text.